The Ambassador of Italy to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, is  on a mission to Houston for the launch of CERAweek, the primary annual U.S. energy review, as well as the 8th edition of "Taste of Italy," a fair dedicated exclusively to Italian agribusiness.

CERAWeek includes a wide range of meetings and events with the participation of institutional speakers including U.S. Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, as well as top executives from major industry groups in the sector, including ENI for Italy.

The Ambassador spoke Sunday evening in Houston at a launch event for "Taste of Italy," organized by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce and featuring this year more than sixty agribusinesses from Italy - mostly SMEs - and major distributor and restaurant groups from various U.S. states as well as Texas. A total of more than 300 participants are expected to attend the event.

"Houston is hosting these days the Italian leadership in the energy field, with large groups such as ENI and other highly innovative companies, and at the same time the excellence of Italian agribusiness, with producers linked to the territory, who combine authenticity, tradition and innovation," Ambassador Zappia commented, adding that "the Italian system in the United States is working to support these realities in order to continue to strengthen the presence of Italian excellence in the U.S."